Gordy Carlson, a World War II veteran and Oakdale resident, was one of a group to receive a Fort Snelling National Cemetery Memorial Rifle Squad Lifetime Achievement award. Carlson has volunteered 9,000 hours over 30 years with the rifle squad. Carlson has also volunteered 60 years at the VA Hospital, 22 years as representative, and and has helped with recreation programs from Bingo to bowling. (submitted photos

The St. Clair ore freighter passes through the Soo Locks on the St. Mary's River in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The ore freighter is similar to the Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank Nov. 10, 1975, and is the subject of local programs and a special beacon lighting at Split Rock Lighthouse in Two Harbors this month. (Photos by Pamela O’Meara/Review staff)

When the gales of November took down the ore freighter
For years I’ve heard the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior in a storm but I didn’t know the details until my recent trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where I went through the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, visited two maritime museums along Lake Superior and heard lots of stories.

Mike Etoll has been a haunted house lover his whole life. The East Side haunt he’s created packs an impressive punch, especially for being in a detached garage. (photos by Patrick Larkin/Review)

Garage comes to life for Halloween spectacle
Mike Etoll, proprietor of the East Side's own residential butcher-shop-themed haunted house, might be considered by some to be an eccentric, an oddball, or a quirk.
That's probably just fine with the man, who confidently wears a goatee that's dyed green.

Vednita Carter, founder of Breaking Free, introduced a new East Side house dubbed Jerry’s Place that will be the home for four girls ages 16 and 17 who are recovering victims of sex trafficking. The home is named after fallen East Side cop Gerald Vick. The home comes thanks to new Safe Harbor laws and funding that came with them. (Patrick Larkin/Review)

State funding means a safe home for girls to recover
Standing on the porch of an East Side home, Vednita Carter, executive director of Breaking Free, recalled back in 2002 when the late East Side cop Gerald Vick had just taken a badly beaten teenage girl to the hospital. She'd been beaten up by a pimp.

Car show volunteer Bruce Fabio said bigger crowds than ever before strolled down East Seventh Avenue to check out the vintage cars, enjoy the food and listen to the music in 2014. (Submitted photo)

A look back at a North St. Paul summer tradition
The summer-long History Cruze Car Show rolled to a conclusion on Friday, Sept. 19. Classic car owners from around the region began cruising into downtown North St. Paul all the way back on June 6, and kept coming every Friday after that.

There’s a crisp feel of autumn in the air.
Migratory birds are beginning to take flight, and gardens are in late-season bloom, with pumpkins, squash and gourds turning rich shades of orange, red and green.

HELLO Executive Director Ebenezer Flomo and his wife Janelle Voxland photographed on a 2013 trip to Liberia. The couple hope to return to the country to visit with family and friends as soon as the Ebola crisis has been eradicated. (submitted photo)

Donations needed as crisis continues to worsen It's hard to ignore the headlines coming out of West Africa announcing the latest death toll from what has become the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history. Most Americans first heard about it in July, when a U.S. doctor and another aid worker contracted the virus and later recovered on American soil with the help of an experimental drug known as ZMapp.

Tiny Fredericksburg’s take on history, outdoor activities and food is as big as all Texas
Fredericksburg, Texas, in the Texas hill country, is one of the best-kept secrets in travel. This small town offers visitors a menu of options. Take the kids or grandkids in the summer to see the National Museum of the Pacific War, which has earned rave reviews from ages 9 to 90 for its engaging look at the experience of World War II. Go with friends to browse the boutiques, relax in the spas, visit picturesque homes and historic buildings and tour the wineries. Or, even better, plan a winter getaway to this temperate region for hiking and biking, rock climbing, year-round golfing and seasonal birding tours. Shoppers and diners will find it’s a haven for artists, a treasure trove of antiques and a spot for gourmet dining and specialty foods.